Things have been pretty slow as of late. Rome still loves his new job (I'm still looking for one), we're both still loving our step/spin classes, and we stay pretty busy with volunteer work too. My religious education classes are over for the summer. I had the best 7th grade group this year...really good kids. I still volunteer with the Med Group too. Rome is still helping out with T-ball for a few more weeks, and he's getting ready for his first TDY since we've been here. Thankfully, it's not a 4 month deployment, so I have nothing to complain about! The temperatures are pretty hot these days, so we spend a lot of time in our basement where it's cooler. Not having central A/C takes some getting used to. Overall, things are good. :)

Hope things are going well for all of you back in the states. Ciao!

Rome getting his T-ballers ready to bat.



I realize Rome and Chris look like they're going to a funeral, but I look good and that's all the matters. hehe
This is at a restaurant that sits on the mountain with an amazing view of Caneva. (town where we live) You can actually see our house from their terrace. Anyway, this is the place where all of us did our best to order pepperoni on our pizzas, and every single pizza came out with red peppers instead. Our friends' little boy cried when he saw his...so funny. My MUCH NEEDED Italian class begins 31 May...thank goodness!

So Surreal...

Part one of this post begins with my childhood friend Barb Mitchell. (she is now Barb Werner) Anyway, I've known Barb for as long as I can remember....literally. We grew up running the streets of Sunset Drive with a dozen other snot nosed kids, and I don't think we could have had it any better. Barb and I could (and do) laugh for hours at the memories we share of our childhood....so funny. And the memories are like a bottomless barrel....guess that's what happens when you've known someone your entire life. :)

Part two can now explain that this childhood friend, that I grew up with in a VERY small town in Missouri, now lives less than two hours away from me in Italy. Surreal, isn't it? Her husband, Pat, is in the Army and got stationed at an army post in Vicenza. They're still in the "settling" stage of their move, so I haven't seen Barb yet, but I can't wait to make more memories with her here in Europe.

Part three is today's event. Barb and Pat's son, Allen, had a baseball game in Aviano today. Unfortunately, they don't have their car yet, so Barb and Pat were unable to make the game. However, I was more than happy to go, and was really excited to watch Allen play and cheer him on! And I have to take a moment to brag about this young man. (keep in mind that I haven't seen Allen in over five years...and even longer for Ramiro) He walked over to us after the game and immediately thanked us for coming. We stood and had a short conversation about the game and how good it was to see him. He was genuinely engaged in the conversation, incredibly well mannered, and just an overall good kid. In fact, as we were walking away, he told us to have a good day. Ramiro and I were so impressed with his behavior and maturity. So refreshing to meet a teenage boy with such a good head on his shoulders....good job Barb and Pat!

So here are a few pics from today. Allen did great, had some awesome plays, and won the game!

He's in the red and white jersey.

Tuscany, Part II...Florence

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore...the cathedral church of Florence, Italy.

Inside the cathedral


Brunelleschi's Dome...inside the cathedral


Golden Doors in Florence

We had lunch at an outdoor cafe...il David.

Me enjoying my birra.

Gelato in Florence...of course! :)

Last, but not least, Michelangelo's David...housed in the Accademia Gallery.
Seeing David was my favorite part of Florence...he's exquisite.

Tuscany, Part I...Pisa

Ramiro and I drove to the region of Tuscany for a mini vacation this past week. We stayed at Camp Darby...a very small army post on the west coast of Italy. (staying on military facilities is nice on the budget and for security purposes) We spent one day in Florence, one day on the beach, and actually went to Pisa a couple of times since it is so close to Darby. Actually, we had to go back to Pisa because our camera's battery died the first time. I'm uploading the mother load of pictures...I hope you enjoy them. :)

Market outside the walls of Campo dei Miracoli, which means Field of Miracles in english. Campo dei Miracoli is where the buildings are housed that have made Pisa famous.


Me bartering for scarves. Ended up with two for 10 euro...not bad. :)


Entrance to Campo dei Miracoli


Inside walls surrounding Campo dei Miracoli


The Baptistery, Cathedral, and Leaning Tower of Pisa.


Baptistery of Pisa



Cathedral of Pisa





Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Yes, we did the infamous "holding up the tower" pics.

Eating gelato at Pisa...duh!